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Two major sets of roadworks taking place on the N59 in Connemara will get underway in November.
Galway TD and Minister of State Seán Kyne confirmed that roadworks will begin on the N59 Letterfrack an Maam Cross to Bunnakill schemes will begin on site at the start of November.
The N59 Letterfrack Scheme involves the realignment of 0.3km of road on the approach to the village which has long been described as bottleneck.
A standard 6m wide carriageway will be built on the road section in question, with 0.5m hard strips and verges of approximately 2 – 3 metres.
The contract for this scheme has been awarded to Mayo based P&D Lydon and work is expected to take 30 months to complete.
Other works taking place as part of the scheme are the realignment of the access road to Connemara National Park, the excavation of a large amount of rock, and drainage works.
In relation to the Maam Cross to Bunnakill scheme, the county council has confirmed that permission has been given to award the contract, and the chosen contractor is also expected on site in early November.
This is a significantly larger project that involves the realignment of 5.2km of road, with the construction of a new carriageway ranging from 7 – 8 metres wide with 0.5m hard strips and verges that vary from 2m to 3.3m.
A number of local roads connected to the N59 long this route will also require realignment, and improvements will be made to public road junction layouts including a new bridge and three retaining walls.
Finally the scheme will involve various piped/culverted watercourse crossings as well as earthworks, drainage and pavement works.
As a significantly larger project this scheme will take longer to complete than the Letterfrack roadworks.
The total construction period for the Maam Cross to Bunnakill Scheme is expected to be in the region of 18 months.
